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Each night that Martin Sexton is on stage, he performs what amounts to musical gymnastics with his soulful voice. It's the ultimate instrument that can't be replicated, and it commands the every person's full attention. It's not surprising then that Sexton himself views his songs as "a set of monkey bars," he said.

"And I play on them differently every night," Sexton continued. "That keeps it fun for me, and hopefully for the audience."

Sexton performs at Agave in Avon tonight. Tickets are $22 and available at the door.

"Martin possesses one of the great voices of my generation," said Crawford Byers of Rocky Mountain Entertainment, who booked the show. "He's got amazing range and is a dynamic performer. I haven't been able to land a date with him in Vail since he last visited during the Club 8150 days, so I'm very excited to have the chance to bring him back this winter."

Sexton uses his voice for more than just singing. He's not afraid to speak his mind about the things happening in America right now that frighten him, like how divided the country has become when it comes to politics.

"A divided body is easily manipulated and controlled," he said. "A unified body is strong and a force to reckoned with. So I'm trying to remember we are all 99.9 percent the same, and I feel music is a powerful unifying force. While we are all busy squabbling with each other, our corporately controlled government is passing laws that diminish our ability to fight back, (like with) the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the Patriot Act, etcetera."

Sexton believes in the America he learned about in school as a child: "The good guys, the heroes, the enemies of tyranny.

Instead, "we've become a country that can torture or assassinate, arrest or detain, without due process of law. So at the end of the day, if you are a gun lover, gun hater, straight or gay, black or white, we are all going to be in the paddy wagon together. I don't want to wait until we are at that point to realize that we are on the same team."

But that doesn't mean you'll find Sexton preaching from the stage tonight. At his shows he focuses on bringing folks from different walks of life together, "to sing in harmony."